Durham 16, Columbus 10. Once again, the minor league system is our remaining source of pride as a Devil Rays fan. Of course it is a sad and a bit extreme that we gain a sense of pleasure when our AAA team beats the Yankee’s AAA team. Last night…O Baby! Delmon Young is finally announcing to everyone with his bat (in a good way) that he is ready. Last night Young had his best game of what has been a very good season (statistically, not behaviorally). He went 4-5 with a triple, 2 home runs, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored. The home runs are only his 4th and 5th of the season, but all have come since his return from a 49-game suspension. Not to be outdone, Kevin Witt hit his league-leading 27th and 28th home runs, which is 9 more than anybody else. As for Young, he is now hitting .354 which would be good enough for the league lead if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. B. J. Upton, the man with million dollar talent and a 5-cent throwing arm, went 1-4 with 2 walks and swiped his league leading 42nd base. Unfortunately he continues to struggle at his new position with a throwing error, his 33rd of the year. Wes Bankston hit his first home run since being promoted to Durham two weeks ago. Darnell McDonald added 3 hits to raise his average to .313.

Bakersfield 5, Visalia 3. Evan Longoria added 2 more hits including his 6th double to raise his average to .371. Patrick Breen hit his 23rd home run which is 2nd in the CL. Reid Brignac was given the night off.